Third-person effect in the context of public relations and corporate communication

Inaccurate perceptions of audience can cause public relations practitioners to overreact or underreact to a situation, which brings about unintended consequences. We draw on the third-person effect research to identify examples and outline the conditions when the overestimation or underestimation of media effects can motivate key players to engage in restrictive, corrective, promotional, and resistance behaviors. Then, we recommend approaches that can help public relations practitioners better reflect and manage corporate communication. In short, the approaches involve: (a) determining the nature of the presumed effect from the audience perspective and going beyond the categorical positive/negative message, (b) assessing the level of the presumed effect and considering also the possibility of the first- as well as the second-person effect, and (c) assessing the influence of the perceived effect on behaviors that have the potential to directly as well as indirectly affect the company.     

A Note on Unit Root Tests and GARCH Errors: A Simulation Experiment

This article re-examines the Monte Carlo experiments in Seo (1999 Seo , B. ( 1999 ). Distribution theory for unit root tests with conditional heteroskedasticity . J. Econometrics 91 : 113 – 144 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) for unit root tests with GARCH errors. We report a Monte Carlo study with data generated from various GARCH(1, 1) processes where 0.8 ≤ α + β < 1 and β > α. In this case, the Dickey–Fuller test works better than the Seo test.     

Tests for equality of variances with paired data

The normal theory test for equality of variances with paired data is shown to be nonrobust to violation of the assumption of normality. Nonparametric tests are shown to provide a much safer alternative with little loss of efficiency.     

Two-sample post-stratified or subgroup analysis with restricted randomization rules

In a clinical trial to compare two treatments, subjects may be allocated sequentially to treatment groups by a restricted randomization rule. Suppose that at the end of the trial, the investigator is interested in a post-stratified or subgroup analysis with respect to a particular demographic or clinical factor which was not selected prior to the trial for stratified randomization. Under a randomization model, large sample theory of two-sample post-stratified permutational tests is developed with a broad class of restricted randomization treatment allocation rules. The test procedures proposed here are illustrated with a real-life example. The results of this example indicate that it is not always possible to ignore the treatment rule used in the trial in the design-based analysis.     

13 When Group Identities Matter

Abstract

Performance appraisals are a critical part of organizational life, and bias in appraisals is consistently mentioned as a barrier to advancement for diverse workers. This chapter reviews the literature on rater bias in performance appraisals, defined as effects on performance ratings due to ratee category membership. We focus on the major theoretical frameworks (e.g., stereotype fit and relational demography) used in the study of bias, organizing the research findings by the four most commonly studied demographic categories: gender, race, age, and disability. The review allows better understanding of the gaps in our knowledge and identifies needed future research directions in this literature stream. We conclude the chapter with several concerns including a lack of empirical research testing propositions concerning the effect of organizational variables on bias.     

Reward‐Modulated Response Inhibition,Cognitive Shifting,and the Orbital Frontal Cortex in Early Adolescence

Immaturities in cognitive shifting are associated with adolescent risk behaviors. The orbital frontal cortex (OFC) regulates reward processing and response inhibition. This study tested the relationship between cognitive shifting, OFC activity, and reward‐modulated response inhibition in young adolescents. An fMRI antisaccade (AS) paradigm examined the effects of reward conditions on inhibitory response and OFC processing. A validated self‐report inventory assessed cognitive shifting. Compared with neutral, reward trials showed better AS performance and increased OFC activation. Cognitive shifting positively associated with AS performance in reward and neutral trials. Poorer cognitive shifting predicted greater OFC activation. Results indicate lower OFC efficiency, as greater activation to achieve correct performance, underlies cognitive shifting problems. These neurocognitive impairments are relevant for understanding adolescent risk behaviors.     

Modeling the mental health service utilization decisions of university undergraduates: A discrete choice conjoint experiment

Objective: We modeled design factors influencing the intent to use a university mental health service. Participants: Between November 2012 and October 2014, 909 undergraduates participated. Method: Using a discrete choice experiment, participants chose between hypothetical campus mental health services. Results: Latent class analysis identified three segments. A Psychological/Psychiatric Service segment (45.5%) was most likely to contact campus health services delivered by psychologists or psychiatrists. An Alternative Service segment (39.3%) preferred to talk to peer-counselors who had experienced mental health problems. A Hesitant segment (15.2%) reported greater distress but seemed less intent on seeking help. They preferred services delivered by psychologists or psychiatrists. Simulations predicted that, rather than waiting for standard counseling, the Alternative Service segment would prefer immediate access to E-Mental health. The Usual Care and Hesitant segments would wait 6 months for standard counseling. Conclusions: E-Mental Health options could engage students who may not wait for standard services.     

Pool Screening: An Example of Independent Nonidentical Bernoulli Trial

Pool screening is a widely used study design to make inference about the probability of a subject being positive for an infection when the probability is extremely low. When the pool sizes are unequal, outcomes of pool screening follow independent nonidentical Bernoulli distributions. This paper presents different calculation methods for the probability distribution of T, the number of positive pools. Marcus and Lopes recursive method is recommended.